Three's A Crowd
by Skittles Rainbow Pride
Summary: Faith wasn't called after Kendra. Instead, a younger girl named Molly was. But she's come to town after Faith did. Who is this new Slayer, and how will she change the Scoobies' lives? Slight AU, for OC. Rated T for violence, language mostly.
1. Welcome to Sunnydale!

**Disclaimer: **I don't own BtVS or any of the characters from it. They belong to Joss Whedon and comp. I only own Miss Molly Baxter, along with Arthur Kensington, and all of Molly's relatives/friends/connections from her old life.

Three's A Crowd takes place during Season 3, beginning in the episode "Band Candy".

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"Welcome to Sunnydale! Enjoy your stay!"_

The sign that greeted her on her way into town was overly cheerful for what went on there, Molly thought as she shifted in her seat. The bus ride hadn't been the most comfortable, but it was safer than trying to hitch a ride again. She'd learned her lesson from the first time she'd tried that, and was still wearing the bruise to show for it. Looking out her window, she watched the small California town roll by, and she thought back to what her own home had been like. It was certainly a change, and she hoped she'd be able to adjust quickly.

Finally, after what seemed like forever, the bus stopped as the station, and she gather her bags up, headed for a phone book. It took her a bit, but she found the name she was looking for, then ripped the page out, stuffing it into her pocket. It was early afternoon; about 3 pm, according to her Nightmare Before Christmas wristwatch, and according to the directions she'd received at the bus station, it wouldn't take her more than an hour to reach her destination. With a sigh, she readjusted her bags, then took off toward town.

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With a deep breath and a sigh, Molly set her bags down, looking at the door in front of her. Pulling the crumpled piece of paper from her pocket, she checked the address once more, then sighed again. Working up her courage, the raven-haired girl knocked on the door, waiting for an answer. She didn't have to wait long though, as the door was answered by a middle-aged English man.

"Yes? Can I help you?" he asked politely, his accent thick. Molly gulped, then nodded.

"I hope so. Are you Mr. Giles?" she asked, chewing on the inside of her lip, one of her nervous habits.

Giles nodded, knitting his brow. "Yes, I am. Who are you?" he replied.

"My name is Molly, sir. Molly Baxter. You're Buffy Summers' Watcher, right?" Molly's eyes lit up a bit, glad to have found the right person.

Giles studied the girl a moment, nodding once more. "Yes…but how do you know that?"

She offered him a slight smile before she answered. "My Watcher told me. He said that you were Buffy's Watcher, and you were stationed here, in Sunnydale. I'm glad he was right, for once."

A bit surprised to hear that this young girl had such knowledge of Slayers and the Council, Giles opened the door a bit more, inviting the girl inside. "Your Watcher? Are you a Potential then?"

Molly gathered her bags quickly, stepping inside and setting them down away from the door. "Yes sir. Arthur Kensington was my Watcher. And no, I'm not a Potential." She took a deep breath, working up her courage. "I'm a Slayer."

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A/N: Hi all, hope you enjoyed the introductory chapter of Three's A Crowd. Sorry it's so short, but I promise, later chapters will be better. So far, I don't have any pairings planned, although Molly will develop crushes as well as friends. This is my newest BtVS fic out of a bunch, and I hope I'll finish this one to my satisfaction. It's going to be a little AU, but not very far off the canon story. Just enough to squeeze Molly in.

Reviews are appreciated, and I'll try to have some more up within a week.

-Skitz


	2. Troubled Past

Giles stared at the girl who stood in the entrance of his home, his mind trying to wrap itself around what she had said. _There's no way she could be a Slayer as well,_ he silently mused as he took his glasses off, cleaning them on his shirt. _Faith hasn't died at all, at least, not while she's been here. And she would have said something if she'd died before, like Buffy had. At least, I __think__ she would've mentioned it someone. The Council would know, at least. Yes, I must contact them._

Realizing that the girl -_Molly, I believe she said_- was still looking at him expectantly, he cleared his throat, putting his glasses back on. "Why don't you have a seat? I'll make some tea, and then you can explain everything to me. Alright?"

Molly nodded, walking over to what she assumed was the living room and sitting down on the couch, teetering at the edge of the furniture. She tucked her long bangs behind her ears, fiddling with the multiple rings on her fingers as she waited. Glancing back toward the small kitchen Giles had gone into, she watched him for a moment, trying to see how he was reacting to what she'd said.

_Probably thinks I'm insane,_ Molly thought sadly as she turned her moon-and-star ring around her finger. Sighing, she glanced back around the living room, taking in all the books the filled the shelves. It was a much nicer place than Arthur had lived in. Her Watcher's home had been a tiny apartment, and his books had been piled on the floor, in towering stacks that were so precociously balanced it was a shock they didn't fall when someone coughed. The kitchen had always been smelly, despite how often he'd cleaned it, and his tea set had been a mismatched group of cups and saucers, most with small chips in them. She'd often remarked to him that as someone from England, he should be more proud of what his tea set looked like, and Arthur had always scowled at her whenever she brought it up.

Coming back to the present situation, Molly looked up as Giles came into the room, carrying a tray loaded with tea and scones. She couldn't help but grin, and happily accepted the cup when it was handed to her. "Your tea set matches!" she exclaimed as she turned the cup carefully in her hand. Looking back up at the Englishman, she blushed slightly when she noticed how Giles was looking at her. "I'm sorry…Arthur's tea set didn't match, and I told him that he should have more pride in his tea set. He always got mad when I said it though, but I still brought it up occasionally."

Giles smiled at the girl, realizing then that she must be younger than she appeared. After taking a sip of his tea, he spoke. "Molly, how old are you?" he asked, setting his cup down carefully. Molly paused, looking down into her tea.

"I'm 16," she said quietly, wanting to sink into her seat. "I only got called three months ago, but Arthur's been my Watcher since I was 12. I know I'm young," she said, looking back up at Giles, "but I'm much more intelligent and trained than I look. At least, I'm more trained on mystical things. I can hit wicked hard though!" Molly beamed at that, taking great pride in it.

Giles nodded, then folded his hands carefully. "I see…so you were called after Kendra's death, then?" he asked, silently wondering why this young Slayer was here and not with her Watcher. The raven-haired girl nodded again, setting her own cup down. "Yes sir. I was called after Kendra was slain by Drusilla the vampire. Arthur stepped my training up immediately, because we'd been practicing at the time, and I went to practice a kick and sent him across the room! I felt so bad, because he was bruised and hurt, but he was just ecstatic, rambling on about his girl being the new Chosen. He even bought me a new dagger for it!" She grinned, reaching down to pull said weapon out of her boot.

The Watcher smiled at her, glad to see the same enthusiasm on her face that his own Slayer often had at the idea of new weapons. "I can understand that. But Molly, I have to ask. Why are you here, in Sunnydale, and not with your Watcher? How did you get here, and from where?"

Molly chewed the inside of her lip again, frowning. "About 2 months ago, Arthur began talking to the Council a lot more. Normally, he only spoke to them for updates and stuff. But he was talking to them almost everyday…sometimes all day. Then, one day, he took me to this campsite, to patrol. He said that there were rumors of a vampire group who was living near the campsite, hunting the campers late at night. We found a few vampires, and I dusted them with no problem. After that, we went down to patrol along the beach, and, after I made sure it was clear, Arthur said I could go play in the water. It was just a lake, really, but I love swimming, and so I went out in my patrol-gear, just having fun. I stubbed my toe on a stray rock though, and Arthur came running out because he heard me cry out. I started to explain to him what had happened, but he had this funny look in his eyes, and the next thing I knew, he was drowning me." Molly shuddered, wrapping her arms around herself even as Giles' eyes widened with horror. "I came too in the hospital. They'd brought me back, but I'd been dead for a few minutes. Arthur had fed them this story about me slipping while I was out in the water, and how he'd rushed out to save me. He gave me CPR, and I was breathing again, but he'd taken me to the hospital anyway." She paused, taking a breath. "I was released later that day. We went back to his apartment, and Arthur apologized, explaining that Buffy had died that way, and been brought back, activating another Slayer. He thought that if he did that to me, there'd be three Slayers, and then we'd be able to protect more places at once. It seemed like a good idea to him, I guess, and he thought the Council should do it to all the Slayers who get called, until there was an army."

Shuddering again, Molly pulled her knees to her chest, resting her forehead against them. Giles silently shook with anger, but he pushed that aside, for the sake of the child in front of him. "Molly?" he said softly, leaning towards her so he'd be able to hear her. "Where's Arthur now?"

Molly looked up at him, eyes wet with tears. "He isn't my Watcher anymore. He isn't anyone's Watcher anymore." Her lip quivered, and she sniffled as she watched Giles, waiting for him to grow angry with her.

"Did you hurt him, Molly?" the Englishman replied, suddenly wondering if calling the Council was the right idea after all. The young Slayer nodded, and he pinched the bridge of his nose, removing his glasses. Standing, he walked toward his phone, picking it up and quickly dialing a number.

The goth girl's eyes widened, and she stood up quickly, wiping her eyes. "Please don't call the Council, Mr. Giles! Please! I didn't mean to kill him! I told him I was going to call the Council and get a new Watcher, and he got mad, and tried to take the phone from me, and I freaked out and shoved him away, and he hit his head! He hit his head on the table, and there was a terrible cracking noise, and then there was blood everywhere! But it was an accident! Please don't turn me in!" Molly had fallen to her knees at that point, shaking with her tears and her fear. Giles frowned, setting the phone down next to the receiver. "Molly, child, I'm not calling the Council! Please, don't cry! I'm only calling Buffy. I think it would be good if you met her, and she might be able to help you."

"_Hello? Hello? Who is this?" _Buffy's voice was quiet and distant, and Giles hastily picked up the phone. "Buffy? Yes, it's me. I'm afraid we have a slight situation. Could you come over, please? And bring Faith with you? Yes, right now. It's rather important. Well I'm sorry I'm interrupting your dinner, and please tell your mother that too. What? Well…." he paused, then looked back at Molly, who was wiping her eyes again, her makeup smearing across her face. "If your mother doesn't mind, I can meet you at your home. But I have someone with me. No, she's someone who I believe you can help. I'll explain it all when I get there." Covering the phone with his hand, he turned back to Molly.

"Have you eaten?" Molly shook her head, tilting it to the side. Giles took his hand from the phone, then spoke into it once more. "Would you perhaps make a plate for her as well, if there's enough? Thank you. Yes. Alright. I'll be right there."

Hanging up the phone, he walked back over to the young Slayer, handing her a box of tissues. "Well, I want you to meet both Buffy and Faith, and we'll be heading to Buffy's house. She's even making you a plate for dinner. Are you going to be alright?" He held his hand out to her, and Molly accepted it, standing up slowly. She nodded, wiping her nose with a tissue.

"Yes. You're really not going to call the Council?" she asked cautiously, looking up at Giles with red eyes. The Watcher shook his head, smiling softly at her.

"No, I won't be calling them until you meet Buffy and Faith. After I've spoken with them, and you have as well, I will call them, only because I have to. But I'll most likely be calling them to let them know where you are, and what your Watcher did to you. And then I'll inform them that you are staying here in Sunnydale. Alright?"

Molly's eyes widened, and she nodded. "Really? You'll let me stay here and help you and Buffy?" Giles nodded, and the young Slayer smiled, throwing her arms around him. "Oh, thank you! Thank you, Mr. Giles!"

He stumbled a bit, taken back by the hug, then cleared his throat after patting the girl on the head. "Yes, well, let's head on over to Buffy's house now, hmm? Gather your things, and we can ride over in my car." Molly let go quickly, then scrambled to pick up all her bags. Patiently waiting by the door, Giles could only chuckle softly at the young girl. _She's been through so much,_ he thought sadly as he grabbed his keys and a jacket. _Hopefully, her mental status is not too traumatized by all that's happened, and we can save her. Oh, I hope Buffy and I can help her. Poor thing./N_

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_A/N: Hi guys! Chapter 2 is here! Poor little Molly's got such a cruddy past, huh? Arthur is definitely not going to win world's best Watcher any time soon. Next chapter, the rest of the Scoobies will meet Molz, and then the fun will begin!

Please review!

~Skitz


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